Hello everyone its my 1st time posting here. I'll be cosplaying for the 1st time 2 weeks from now and I'm a tad obsessive about the accuracy of my cosplay. I'll be going as Kuroko Tetsuya from Kuroko's Basketball and I've been wondering whether I should shave my legs or not. Do most people go with realism rather than accuracy in regards to that area?

The good cosplayers aim for accuracy, but the cosplayers that cosplay for fun, cosplay for fun. You don't HAVE to be accurate, but if you want to be noticed as a good cosplayer, shaving would be ideal, especially if it is noticeable.

If you are obsessive over accuracy, I say shave. If you are cosplaying strictly for fun and no care of accuracy, then don't. I have a male friend I know who pretty much won't cosplay anyone who he would have to shave to be. He has pretty dark hair though, so it limits him. I don't think he has ever cosplayed anyone where he shows enough skin for it to be a problem though.

Reality: Recycled or no cosplay at all. Got to love commissioning! Thanks everyone!! Serious thanks to Dulcinea, who actually made the deadline for the accessories far in advance and of outstanding quality. Sucks they won't be used.

Reality: Recycled or no cosplay at all. Got to love commissioning! Thanks everyone!! Serious thanks to Dulcinea, who actually made the deadline for the accessories far in advance and of outstanding quality. Sucks they won't be used.

You know, I'm a stickler for accuracy and everything, but I don't consider whether or not one has hair on their legs (or arms, or chest) an accuracy issue. Go with what makes you comfortable.

...it would be an entirely different situation if you were in drag and attempting to pass for the opposite sex, to the point of NEEDING to go that extra mile to deliberately fool people. Cosplay is about enjoying yourself, not stressing about passing, so unless you're that rare personality type who honestly won't be having fun and enjoying yourself if you have smooth legs....then, well, just do what you find comfortable and least-stressful.

__________________Founder and Vice-President, Madison Area Costuming Society, a chapter of the International Costumer's Guild

Do whatever you're most comfortable with. This doesn't have much to do with accuracy (unless there's someone that out-right says "this character does not have body hair"); I mean, lets face it, if you're a human being you're going to have hair somewhere on your body... Anime characters don't have that "issue" and can have completely hairless bodies without ever looking at a razor. It's just like thinking you need to shave your arms because most anime characters don't have visible hair there.... You can if you want to, but it's not needed and I wouldn't consider it any less accurate, we are human after all. :P

Do what makes you comfortable; if you're more comfortable not shaving then that's your preference, but if you want to go for total (or close to it) accuracy, then you should shave (might I recommend Veet instead of shaving if you do go that route? Works much better and isn't painful). I don't think it really makes that much of a difference personally, but then again as a cross-player I don't really have much of a choice since I'm super hairy and want to be as accurate as I can

But I think you also have to consider just how your leg hair is. Some people have really thin light leg hair, so you can't even really see it. If that's the case, who cares?
Other people however..
Me, for example. I have dark, thick Italian body hair. If I don't shave my legs for 2 days it's already noticeable from a distance. I, personally, was not going to cosplay as a shota character in boy shorts with thick, dark, semi-bear Italian legs. I've been shaving my legs ever since.